9 Powerful Horizontal Pull Exercises

It is possible to divide exercises into movement patterns. Discover a few effective horizontal pull exercises you can do in the gym or at home

Horizontal pull exercises are simply movements where you pull something to your body against resistance.

Movements like this work muscles like latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, traps, biceps, and forearm grip muscles. This can make horizontal pull exercises helpful for things like improving posture.

Horizontal pull exercises can often be done with a wide variety of different back equipment options and grip holds.

Keep in mind that if you already do a lot of pull exercises, it can be smart to use straps or grips for the movements below. Some grip training can be great but it can also interfere with your workout.

1. Bent-over row

The bent-over row is one of the most typical horizontal pulling exercises. The walkthrough is with a barbell but you can use most free weights and gym machines like the cable machine and smith machine.

Take the following steps to do a bent-over row with a barbell:

1. Load the desired number of weight plates on the barbell and stand in front of it.
2. Put your feet at about shoulder width, grab the barbell with an overhanded grip, and lift up the barbell with your legs until you stand up straight. Keep your back straight throughout the exercise.
3. Slightly fold your knees and tilt your upper body forward until it is at about a 45-degree angle with the ground. Let your arms hang down to the ground for now but hold the barbell tightly.
4. Bend your elbows until your hands reach your body. The goal is to mainly make your back muscles support this movement. Keep your arms close to your body, your upper body in a straight line, and your feet in the same position during the movement.
5. Lower your hands again to the position of step 3 in a controlled motion.

By doing the bent-over row standing up you engage muscles like your core and legs more compared to the other options on this list where you sit down or support your body with an object.

You can do the bent-over row with different grips. An overhanded grip, with your hand palms backward/downward, will focus slightly more on your upper back.

An underhanded grip, with your hand palms forward/upward, will focus slightly more on your latissimus dorsi.

2. Inverted row

This next horizontal pulling exercise uses a barbell rack in a somewhat more unconventional way.

If you are more experienced with resistance training, this option may not be enough to engage your back muscles in the desired amounts.

For the inverted row, you want a barbell in a sturdy rack at about knee height. Make sure the rack is suited for this type of usage in terms of stability

Once you have that, take the following steps to do an inverted row:

1. Sit down or lie down with your back on the ground under the barbell.
2. Put your hand in an overhanded position on the barbell at about shoulder width.
3. Move your body so your arms are stretched, your knees are at about a 90-degree angle, and the rest of your body is in a straight line.
4. Raise your body by slightly bending your elbows until your body reaches the bar. The goal is to mainly make your back muscles support this movement. Keep your arms close to your body, your body in a straight line, and your feet in the same position during the movement.
5. Slowly lower yourself again until you are back in the position of the third step.

A regular weight lifting row involves standing bent over and moving an external weight up and down. With this inverted row, you will move your body weight up and down.

To the eye, the direction looks different but in relation to your body, you are again doing a horizontal pull movement.

You can also do this bodyweight horizontal pull exercise with other types of “equipment” like a table. Make sure the object you want to use is suited for this type of use to avoid any accidents.

3. Seated low row machine

The seated low row machine is a type of gym machine where you sit down with your feet on sloping pads to brace yourself against the resistance caused by the weights.

You then pull a handle attached to a cable, weight, and pulley system, horizontally toward your body.

Similar to the other horizontal pull exercises this movement will work out a variety of back muscles.

How to use a seated low row machine is relatively straightforward. Take place in the seat, grab the handle, and push yourself back with your legs a small distance.

You then pull the handle toward your stomach while keeping your back straight and your upper arms close to your body.

Once the handle reaches your body let it go back to its starting position in a controlled motion. You can start with light weights. When your technique is good, increase the weights for more and faster muscle gain.

4. T-bar row

The T-bar row is a type of machine where one end of a bar is anchored to the ground behind you. At the other end of the bar you can attach weights.

The name of this exercise comes from the shape this bar has because of the horizontal handle at the end of the bar.

To do this exercise you start standing up over the bar which is between your legs with your back to the ground anchor point. Pick the weight off the ground by using your legs while keeping your back straight.

Get in a position where your legs are slightly bent, your back straight at about a 45-degree angle or more to a vertical line, and your arms stretched.

Pull the bar toward your body as far as comfortable while keeping your back straight and upper arms close to your body. After that, lower the bar in a controlled motion until your arms are stretched.

If you don’t feel your back muscles fatiguing during this horizontal pulling exercise your technique is likely not optimal.

5. Incline bench row

As the name implies you will need an incline bench for the following horizontal pull exercise. Besides that, you also want some type of resistance to row.

Single-handed weights like dumbbells, kettlebells, and certain sandbags can be easier to get in position. You could also use something like a barbell or EZ curl bar even though they are not ideal.

Take the following steps to do an incline bench row with dumbbells:

1. Lie on the bench on your front, your chest should just reach the top of the bench. Let your arms hang down with the dumbbells in your hands.
2. Bend your elbows until your hands reach your body. The goal is to mainly make your back muscles support this movement. Keep your arms close to your body, your body in a straight line, and your feet in the same position during the movement.
3. Lower the dumbbells again to the starting position in a controlled motion.

The incline bench row is a very similar movement as the regular bent-over barbell row but using a weight bench makes a difference in a few areas.

You need less core strength for the incline bench row. This can be a benefit or downside depending on your situation and training goals.

Another thing is that by bracing yourself against the weight bench it becomes harder to use other body parts like your legs to lift the barbell.

It is possible that because of this you engage your back muscles more. In turn, this can lead to more and faster back muscle gain.

You can adjust the slope of the incline bench depending on what muscles you want to focus more on.

6. Endless rope pull machine

The endless rope pull machine is simply a machine that simulates pulling a very long rope. Some models come with a seat. Others require you to stand up. Both types can be used as a machine for horizontal pull exercises.

To make this machine a horizontal pull you preferably want the upper pulley to be at about shoulder/chest height.

If the pulley is located high and it is non-adjustable you can lean back a little. You want to pull at a similar angle whether you are seated or not.

Once you are in a position like that, you simply start pulling the rope like you would do with a normal rope. This comes down to your hands alternately pulling the rope horizontally toward you.

This option of the list will generally be more of a muscle endurance exercise. You can also often increase the resistance of the machine.

7. Bench row

For the bench row, you will need a weight bench or similar object and a type of one-handed free weight. Take the following steps to do a bench row with a dumbbell:

1. Stand right next to the long edge of the bench with one side toward it. Hold one dumbbell in the hand farthest away from the bench.
2. Put your hand and knee closest to the bench on its edge. Keep your arm slightly less than stretched and your upper leg about vertical. Let the arm and its shoulder blade on the side with the dumbbell hang down while keeping your spine horizontal.
3. Raise the dumbbell as far as comfortable by pulling your shoulder blade back and folding your arm. Keep your upper arm close to your body and your upper body in a horizontal line.
4. Lower the dumbbell back into the position of step two in a controlled motion.
5. Repeat the same number of repetitions with your other arm.

This horizontal pulling exercise is done with one side at a time, unilaterally.

The benefit of doing this is that each arm has to move the exact same weight.

In two-handed rows, it is possible one side works harder than the other which can lead to muscle imbalances.

8. Standing cable row

The cable machine is a type of gym machine where a steel frame holds weights and pulleys.

Thanks to the cable going through these pulleys and attached to these weights you can do exercises at angles that are not an option with free weights.

Take the following steps to do a standing cable row:

1. Attach a straight bar or another two-handed handle to the cable machine with the pulley at about chest height. Select your desired weight.
2. Grab the handle with the grip that is best suited for your training goals. Take a few steps back. Stand upright with one foot slightly more forward and one foot slightly more backward. Let your arms follow the pull from the cable.
3. Bend your elbows until your hands reach your body. The goal is to mainly make your back muscles support this movement. Keep your arms close to your body, your upper body in a straight line, and your feet in the same position during the movement.
4. Let your hands go back to the position of step 2 in a controlled motion.

Because of the angles you can achieve with the cable machine, this standing cable row becomes a literal horizontal pulling exercise.

If you have a resistance band anchor at the right height, you can also do this exercise with resistance bands.

9. Renegade row

Take the following steps to do a renegade row with dumbbells:

1. Place the dumbbells on the ground at about shoulder-width and the grips at horizontal lines with each other.
2. Get into the position where your face is facing the floor with your hands on the dumbbell grips. Your arms are stretched and your knees are on the ground.
3. Move your feet back until your body is in a straight line. If you notice you need more stability during the exercise you can put your feet slightly more apart.
4. Raise one dumbbell upward until it is at the height of your upper body. Keep your elbow close to your body and mainly use your back muscles for this movement.
5. Lower the dumbbell back into the position of step 3 and raise the dumbbell on the other side in the same way.

The upper body movement of the renegade row is similar to the bent-over row.

However, the different lower body setup makes it so this horizontal pulling exercise engages your muscles with a different focus.

More specifically, you will engage muscles like your abs more when doing the renegade row.